Journalist: Allora, Grande Madre, nasce il 21 marzo alle ore 12 a Chindwara nel sud dell’India, quali sono i suoi primi ricordi della sua vita? (“You are born on the 21st of March in Chindwara, what are the first souvenirs, the first memories of your life?”)

SM: That I was born very clean, and there was not any blood or anything on my body and I was not attached to any umbilical cord or anything, and my mother saw me and she said: “She is absolutely without any spots so she is called Nishkalanka”

And my father’s aunt was there and she said: “No, that’s a name of a gentleman, so you call her Nirmala, means spotless also means immaculate.” I remember all that.

Question: Cosa ricorda della sua adolescenza passata in gran parte accanto a Gandhi? (“What do you remember about your childhood, your young age next to Gandhiji?”)

SM: See, my father had taken all the children to Mahatma Gandhi, and Mahatma Gandhi said: “You have a big team with you.” My father said: “All right, it’s all for your work.” He said “Give me one.” They picked me out and so I was there from the age of five years with him, I used to go back to my parents for my studies, again on holidays, Saturdays and Sundays I used to be with him.

SM: Yes, first I did matriculation then my inter-science in Ludiana and then I joined medical college but the war broke out and I had to return.

Translator: But She said why did you choose medicine.

SM: Because I had to speak to the doctors also. Yesterday there was a doctor in the group, and I had to explain to him. I knew all these things but I didn’t know the names, so just to learn the names I joined the medical college.

SM: Life was so beautiful, I do not know which one to tell you, but I used to walk bare-feet and a new driver had come in the house and he came to receive me, he came to receive me in the school and so he said how will I recognize your daughter, so my father said that she is the one who walks bare-feet with her shoes in her hands

SM: Lots of things like poverty I saw, and I had a friend – she was from a very poor family and one day she was looking so unhappy. I asked her what’s this thing on my way back from school. So she said today I have not eaten because we have no grain in the house, so I felt terrible about it, I went back to my house and I had the keys, I opened the stores, we had lots of things in the store so I took two bags, three bags, one of them was containing rice, another was what we call “pulses dhal” and a third one of flour for making bread, and asked the driver to took these three (bags) and deliver in her house.

So my mother came and she said what is this, what are you doing, I said: “We have so much here, why shouldn’t she have something?” So I gave her.

Q.: Il matrimonio a soli vent’anni con Sir C.P. è stato un matrimonio d’amore? (“Your marriage was a love marriage? It Was a love marriage as they do in the West or it was an Indian marriage arranged by the family?”)

SM: Yes, arranged by the family, because I was in Lahore studying and the war broke out between India and Pakistan and I had to come away. My college was closed. I didn’t want to marry actually, but that was such a time that parents said, ‘Now you better marry, your college is closed.’ So then I married.

SM: Wonderful, they are very sweet daughters, now one is already a grandmother and now another one is also a grandmother, I am great-grandmother.

Q.: Con tutti gli impegni che ha, come riesce, come è riuscita a fare la Madre e la moglie? (“How did you manage with you private family life and all the rest you are doing in the World?”)

SM: If you have love you can manage everything, your children also love you very much, your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, everyone loves you and husband also understands the very important thing of my life, that I want to transform people.

SM: I had it from my birth but what I had to discover is the way to give self realization to people, how? That was my problem.

Q.: Cosa rappresenta per Lei tutta la gente che la segue? Che cos’è? (“What are representing all your followers for you? All those who are following you what are for you, according to you, what they represent for you?”)

SM: You see, actually when you get your self realisation you become your own leader and I don’t have tell them anything, they are very special people.

SM: Yes, yes. I just tell them that you know your Self, Know thyself as said in the Bible, and everywhere you have to first know yourself. Without that you don’t understand the truth, the real truth.

Q.: Qual è il ruolo della donna nel mondo secondo Lei? (“What is the role of women in the world?”)

SM: Very important, they are the power actually, and not only that but they are the source of love and they cannot be described in a short way, they are wonderful, they don’t realise what is their power is, they are tremendous.

Q.: Lei insegna a trovare il proprio Sé per essere felici. Che cos’è la felicità? (“You are teaching us how to find our self, to be happy. What is happiness according to you?”)

SM: Happiness is to become the Spirit, the Spirit is Joy, is Peace so you have to become that. So far you are just your body, mind and all these things but inside is the Spirit, is the reflection of God within you. Once you become that you are full of Joy.

SM: Means enlightenment, we have no enlightenment when we are born, mostly and we are seeking and we are running after this and running after that. Once you become the Spirit you know there is nothing to seek now, is finished, and you feel over-satisfied.

SM: Depends on the personality, people incarnate again and again no doubt about it – and whatever is their desire they incarnate in that. For example supposing a woman wants to marry some man and she cannot marry, then next life she marries him and learns a lesson for life. (laughs)

Q.: Lo sarà anche in quella futura? (“And also in the next one you’ll be the Great Mother?”)

SM: Of course.

Q.: Che cos’è il bene? (“What is goodness?”)

SM: What is goodness? Goodness is what is not bad, how can you say? But goodness cannot be described, it’s temperament, it’s state of mind where do you everything good, it’s a state of mind.

Q.: E che cos’è il male? (“What is bad?”)

SM: What the bad is we know very well, that: to do something like cheating, like hurting, killing, all these things are bad, they are actually banned by the ten commandments.

Q.: Chi è il suo Dio e chi è Dio? (“Who is God and who is your God?”)

SM: Is the same, everybody has only one God. But God has many aspects it’s not only like I say always Rock of Gibraltar – it is a God who has desire and creates this Holy Ghost out of this desire and then She creates all this World and he has many many aspects, He is a spectator of the work of the Holy Ghost and if everything goes well, He is happy, but if anyone tries to upset the work of the Holy Ghost then he destroys and then he comes into play in His own way. Otherwise is He is just a spectator.

SM: Yes. You see this has come out, out of selfishness, they want to use religion for their own purposes, for making money, for having slaves, all kinds of very low ideas and they entered into religions and that’s how the religion became separate – otherwise there is only one religion, global religion of LOVE.

SM: Is the shortest thing, I think, Sahaja Yoga, see because there is an energy within you which is placed in triangular bone, called as sacrum, which connects you to the all pervading power of divine love which you call as Holy Ghost. And with that power you become yourself a person endowed with all the powers of love, of transforming others as you are, and you become a person of absolute peace and tranquility and of great understanding of the secrets of life and you try to help everyone.

Not only that but you enlighten the whole world, and by that you can change the world, because all that is dangerous, injurious has come from human beings. If human beings are changed we can have a wonderful world.

Q.: Come è nato Sahaja Yoga? (“How Sahaja Yoga started?”)

SM: Started. It has been always there, I mean all the Saints, all the Sufis, all of them were Sahaja Yogis because they were connected with the Divine – so it is no question of starting it was always there, people have been seekers since long, so they found out; but in a million one person. Now my idea is to convert and transform people into the new realm en-masse, collectively.

SM: My message to humanity is: that you all should get transformed you should become the Spirit, that is how you know yourself.

Q.: Che cos’è la ricchezza? (“What is wealth?”)

SM: See, money is of no value, if you don’t know how to use it. Money should be used for the betterment of others, it should be used for giving expression to your love, and should not be just used for yourself and your family but should be enjoyed by giving it to others who deserve it, not to everyone but who deserves it.

Q.: E la povertà? (“What is poverty?”)

SM: Power is what does good work.

Transl.: Poverty, poverty.

SM: Poverty, is again the same thing is again negligence of people who want to take money all the time, extract money. But with Sahaja Yoga I have seen all them have become all right, they all have got jobs, they are doing very well because of the blessing of the Goddess on them, so they all are very much changed.

Q.: Che messaggio vuole dare all’uomo per evitare la guerra, le cattiverie? (“What would you suggest to mankind in order to avoid wars and bad things?”)

SM: Once you become a realized soul, when you become sahaja yogi, in the real sense of the word, then you don’t fight there’s no question – because you become collective, you live collectively you think collectively, you enjoy everything collectively and you become a just global personality so there is no question of war. Now we have people, say, from Israel we have people also from Muslims, so many Muslims are our sahaja yogis, sahaja yogis. In a place called Benin there’re twenty-thousands Muslims who are sahaja yogis. They don’t fight. Then also there are many other communities like we have Hindus and Christians and Sikhs, Muslims, all of them – they have come to Sahaja Yoga if you asked them what is your religion, they will say I am a Sahaja Yogi! Is global, all over the world – now they are telling me in 92 countries they follow Sahaja Yoga.

Q.: Mi sono meravigliata vedendo quanti giovani la seguono. C’è qualcosa che vuole dire a loro? (“I was amazed to see so many young people which following you.”)

SM: Yes.

(Q. “There is anything you want to say to the young generation?”)

SM: They are seekers, they are special people who are born in this hour to seek the truth. But if do not give the truth they take to drugs, they take to all kinds of wrong things, they are seekers of the Truth, that’s why. Very great people they are.

SM: I don’t give any vocal advice or …there’s nothing, just they are coming to me, works out itself, because I have got power of love.

D.: Esistono specialmente in questo periodo dei falsi guaritori. Come possiamo riconoscerli per difenderci da loro?(“There are so many false healers and gurus, how can we recognise them?”)

SM: See, I told you yesterday that if he is a real guru, if he’s a false guru, you can easily find out if you are a realised soul – if you are enlightened you can put your hands towards that person and you might get blisters on your hand or might get heat from them. But if he is realised soul you get cool breeze blowing into you.

Q.: Chi è stato il suo Maestro nella sua vita? (“In your life did you have any master, any teacher?”)

SM: No.

Q.: Che cosa significa spiritualità? (“What is according to you spirituality?”)

SM: Spirituality is when you are enlightened by your Spirit, when the light of the Spirit shows you the right path, straightforward, that’s what is Spirituality. It’s not just talking about it, it’s not just preaching about it, but it is something within you that should happen, that you can see for yourself what is right and what is wrong, then it is Spirituality.

Q.: C’è un allievo che può diventare un giorno una Grande Madre? (“Do you have anybody that one day can become the Great Mother?”)

SM: All of them! All the Sahaja Yogis can become.

Q.: La famiglia oggi è sempre più sbriciolata. Che consiglio vorrebbe dare per la famiglia che non esiste quasi più?(“Nowadays the family is more and more disintegrated. Which advice would you give?”)

SM: In Sahaja Yoga?

Translator: No, outside in the whole world, the family is more and more disintegrated. What advice would you give to families?

SM: That you’ll find with all enlightened people, all the people who are enlightened have a light, means their whole being is enlightened, whole being, you can see in the eyes there is a light sparkling, you can see on the face, light sparkling because they are not dull people. No more dullness. All the sleeping conditions are gone, all aggressive conditions are gone, and they are in balance.

Q.: Quali sono stati i problemi che ha incontrato all’inizio esponendosi e viaggiando nel mondo? (“What are the problems that you had to face travelling in the world in the beginning?”)

SM: In the beginning. In the beginning, you see it was difficult, because some people who were bad gurus or who were following wrong paths tried to oppose me, but the young people who were seekers they never listened to them, and so the all the criticism are dropped now, no more criticism for me.

SM.: Only one destiny is there: that you become the Spirit, that’s the destiny, then the Spirit takes over and It looks after you. There no expectations about anything, when there is no expectations, there is no disappointment.

SM: Yes, you must forgive because as said that whether you forgive or you don’t forgive you don’t anything, but if don’t forgive then you play into wrong hands and torture yourself.

Q.: Che cos’è la Divinità? (“What is Divinity?”)

SM: Divinity is when you are one with the Divine, when there is the Divine flowing through you, that is Divinity. Divine is the thing that is the opposite of negativity. Is very beautiful and it makes you beautiful, makes everyone beautiful, that is what is Divinity is – it’s the blessing, blessing of God Almighty.

Q.: Lei ha mai incontrato il Papa? Cosa pensa della Chiesa, e cosa pensa la Chiesa di Lei? (“Have you ever met the Pope? And what is your opinion about the Church and what is the opinion of the Church about you?”)

Q.: Mio figlio, che ha quattordici anni, quando sono venuta qua ieri per incontrare Lei, mi ha detto, mi ha chiesto: “Chi è la Grande Madre?” Io non gli ho saputo rispondere, gli può rispondere Lei? Così gli farò sentire…(“Her son is now 14. So yesterday, when he knew that she was coming for the interview, he asked her who is the Grande Madre, so she didn’t what to answer exactly. Would you suggest an answer: who is the Grande Madre?)

SM: Actually, you see, at this time of the world, people are seeking, they are special times when the seekers are born, they are seeking the truth, they are not interested in other things but they just want to know what the Absolute Truth is, and that is what I have to give the answer and I have come for that work.

SM: It is the innocence which is never killed, which is never destroyed in human beings – only it’s like some clouds coming over on the sky in some people who have gone against the innocence, but when the innocence shines then you are like a child: you forgive people, and you make people happy, all kind of things happen as a child automatically works out that.

Q.: Possiamo concludere con una cosa bella, un suo pensiero senza domande, per il mondo, per l’uomo… (“She would like to conclude with your message or one of your thoughts for the humanity.”)

SM: All right, she can come anytime and I would like to tell her whatever she wants.

Translator: A message for humanity.

SM: Message? I have already said that you have to become the Spirit. You are to be born again and that born again is that you know your Self. This is what we have to do; a man or a woman unless and until he is transformed we cannot change this World, we have to change the whole World.

Journalist: Thank you, very much. Senta, posso baciarla? (“Thank you very much, may I kiss you?”)

SM.: Such a great study, Such a great study, just don’t put Mr.Pope there.

SM: May God Bless you. Thank you very much, thank you very much I said, thank you (Intervistatrice/Journalist: Thank you). You can do a lot with this interview for Italians, they need it very much. They are very nice people, in the whole of Europe, Italians are the best. May God bless you.

By the End of this Article there is a Collection of Interviews with Shri Mataji (Excerpts) This article contains a full-fledged script for One of the many radio interviews of Shri Mataji .. this one is an inspiring example…

12 Responses to “Questions and Answers on Life and Death with Yoga Master – Grande Madre – in Italy, Versilia 2001 -> The Most Beautiful Interview of an Italian Journalist: Great Mother’s Life – First Memories of Birth”

This is a wonderful interview – truly a beautiful gem among all the interviews of Shri Mataji. I haven’t seen or heard it before – thank you, Iona (and also thank you for maintaining such a lovely site!)

Beautiful, and like Shri Mataji said she asked very direct questions which gave us wonderful answers. She described exactly how my life has changed since practicing Sahaj. My life couldn’t be more amazing. Thank you Shri Mataji. With love. And thank you Ioana for posting this interview.

This is an amazing interview with Shri Mataji.
“What do you remember about your birth?”)

SM: That I was born very clean, and there was not any blood or anything on my body and I was not attached to any umbilical cord or anything, and my mother saw me and she said: “She is absolutely without any spots so she is called Nishkalanka”

And my father’s aunt was there and she said: “No, that’s a name of a gentleman, so you call her Nirmala, means spotless also means immaculate.” I remember all that.Imagine we have Mother’s very words about Her Divinity right from Her birth-what a joy to share this with others as well as the other gems.Thank you Iona for this article-the silver story from past articles has been shared widely with great appreciation from Brothers and Sisters-you are truly using your divine right vishuddhi,love and appreciation from Australia

To all those needing to feel that they are protected, loved, and that their Sahaja Family is waiting and always there for them to return home…this interview with Shri Mataji is so powerful…just a snapshot…of the power that grows within us every day as we go deeper…and frankly, humbly, we can feel and manifest our own superhuman qualities and can not only help ourselves but help so many others…thanks to the powers we gain through Shri Mataji’s teachings…Sahaja Yoga is a gift to humanity.